announcer: with the republican and democratic national convention happening later this month, c-span is taking a look back at past conventions and those would go on to receive nomination for president. we feature the nominees that ran for president wants during their political careers, beginning with harry truman in 1948. after that, we show you john f. kennedy accepting the nomination in 1960, followed by barry goldwater in 1964, and gerald ford in a can 76. -- in 1976. >> after the death of president roosevelt in 1945, vice president harry truman was sworn in as the 33rd president. he would go on to fulfill that term before launching his own successful bid for the white house. the 1948 campaign was the only time he would pursue the

democratic emanation, despite being eligible reelection four years later. his acceptance speech at the democratic national convention in philadelphia 25 minutes. [applause] ♪ harry truman: all right, go ahead. [hail to the chief playing] harry truman: thank you, thank you. [applause]

harry truman: thank you, thank you. ♪ harry truman: thank you. thank you. right, that is it. [background chatter] harry truman: thank you, thank you very much. i can't, i have to have them up where i can see. i am sorry if they are in your way, because i can't see what i

am doing. i need to always see what i am doing. [applause] harry truman: i can't tell you have very much i appreciate the honor, which you have just conferred upon me. i shall continue to try to deserve it. [applause] harry truman: i accept the nomination. [applause] harry truman: and i want to thank this convention for its unanimous nomination of my good friend and colleague senator barkley of kentucky. [applause] harry truman: he is a great man and a great public servant. senator barkley and i will win

this election, and make these republicans like it. don't you forget that. [cheers] [applause] harry truman: we will do that, because they are wrong and we are right, and i will prove it to you in just a few minutes. [applause] this convention andto express the will reaffirm the beliefs of the democratic party. there have been differences of opinion, and that is the democratic way. those differences have been settled by a majority of votes, as they should be. now it is time for us to get together and defeat the common enemy. now it is up to you.

we will be working together for victory in the great cause. -- and a great cause. victory has become a habit of our party. it has been elected four times in succession, and i am convinced it will be elected a fifth time next november. [applause] the reason is is that the people know the democratic party is the people's party, and the republican party is secular, and it always has been and always will be. [applause] harry truman: the democratic party is written in the compliments of the last 16 years. -- via compass minerals of the last 16 years. they have been ably placed convention, the keynote speaker and the vice president chairman.

confidence and security have been brought to the american people by the democratic party. increased from in 1933 to5 billion 1947.han $18 billion in never in the world was any kingdom or other country [indiscernible] and if they don't do their duty by the democratic party, it is the most ungrateful people in the world. [applause] harry truman: wages and salaries in this country have increased some $29 million in 1933 to more than $128 million in 1947.

labor neverr, and has but one friend in politics, and that is the democratic party of frankland eleanor roosevelt. -- frankland alanna roosevelt. [applause] harry truman: and i will say to labor what i have said to the commerce, they are the most ungrateful people in the world if they pass the democratic party by this year. [applause] the national income has increased to less 200 $40 billion in 1933 to -- $203 billion in 1947, the greatest and all the history of the world. the benefits have been spread to all the people, because it is the business of the democratic party to see the people get a fair share of these things. this last worse idiot congress proved just the opposite for the

republicans. [applause] harry truman: the record on foreign policy for the democratic party is that united states has been turned away permanently from isolationism, and we have converted the greatest and best of the republicans to our viewpoint on that subject. [applause] harry truman: the united states has to accept its formal responsibility for leadership in international affairs. backers, andthe the people organize and started the united nations, first started under that great democratic president woodrow wilson as the league of nations. the league was sabotaged by the religions in 1920, and we must see the edit nations continues

-- see the united nations continues so we can have everlasting peace in the world. [applause] removed the trade barriers of the world. harry truman: which is the best asset we can have for peace. laws, trade, they must not be put back into operation again. started the foreign aid program, which aids the recovery of europe and the far east. instituted the programs for turkey, and i will say to you that all of these things were done in that bipartisan manner. foreign relations committees of the senate and the house were taken into the full confidence of the president in every one of these moves, and a let anybody

to you anything else. -- and don't let anybody tell you anything else. [applause] harry truman: as i have said time and time again, foreign policy should be the policy of the whole nation, and not a policy of one party or the other. partisanship should start at the waters edge -- stop at the water's edge. i will continue that through this whole campaign. [applause] harry truman: i like to say a word or two now about what i think the republican philosophy fromnd i will speak actions and history and experience. in 1932 was due to the policies of the republican party control of the government of the united states.

the republican party, as i said a while ago, favors the privileged few, and not the common, everyday man. ever since is inception, that party has been under the consult of special privilege, and they can greatly proved it in the 80th congress. -- 88th congress. [applause] harry truman: they proved it by the things they did to the people and not for them. they proved it by the things they failed to do. now let's look at some of them, just a few. time and time again, i recommended the extension of control before it expired on june 30, 1946. i asked her the extension in december 1925. november 1945, a message on the sake of the union in 1946.

union in 1946. that legislation did not come to my desk until june 30, 1946 on the day on which it was about to expire, and it was such a rotten bill that i could not find it. already days after that, there was one just as bad, and i had to sign it because they quit and went home. [applause] the fed when opa died, the price for the [indiscernible] fell. they have adjusted themselves all right, gone all the way off the charts and adjustments and expenses to the consumer and the benefit of the people's own goods. [applause] harry truman: i called a special session of congress november 1947, november 17, 1947. and i sat out, set out a 10 part

program called a well find benefit of this country, among other things, standby price controls. i got nothing. congress still does nothing. way back 4.5 years ago, when i was in the senate, we passed the housing bill, in the senate. known as the wagner eleanor taft bill. slums a bill to clear the in the big cities, and to help .irect the low-rent housing that bill, as i say, passed the senate four years ago, but died in the house. that bill was reintroduced in the80th congress as taft-elinor-wagner bill.

the with name was finally changed, but it passed the senate. there was -- it was allowed to die in the house of representatives. the committee sat on that bill. it was finally forced out of the committee, then the rules committee took charge, and it still is in the rules committee. but desperate pleas from philadelphia in the convention that met here three weeks ago could not get that housing bill passed. they passed a bill they called a housing bill, but did not -- was not worth the paper it is written on. [applause] harry truman: the labor, we need moderate legislation to promote labor harmony, but congress instead pass to that so-called taft-hartley act, which is disruptive labor-management and

will cause strife and bitterness for years to come if it is not rebuild as it ought to be repealed. [applause] i tried ton: strengthen the labor department. under a republican platform from 1924 said, if they were in fire, they would build a strong labor department. you know what they have done to the labor department? they afford it up. there is only one person hunting in. they don't care how it functions. i recommend increasing the minimum wage. what do they give? nothing, absolutely nothing. that the schools in this country are crowded. teachers underpaid. that there are shortages of teachers. nationale greatest needs, more and better schools.

i heard the congress to provide $300 million to aid the states in meeting the present educational crisis. congress did nothing about it. time and again, i recommend improvement through social security law, including extending protection to those not now covered. increase the amount of the benefits, reduce the eligibility age of women from 65 to 60 years. congress studied the matter for two years but could not find time to extend increased benefits, but it did find time to take social security benefits away from 750,000 people. they pass that. [applause] i have repeatedly asked the congress to pass a health program. the nation suffers the lack of medical care. ,hat situation can be remedied

anytime the congress wants to act upon it. everybody knows that i recommended to the congress a civil rights program. i did so because i believe it to be my duty under the constitution, some of the members of my own party disagreed with me violently on this matter, but they would stand up and vote for me. stand, tell where they the republicans say they are for these measures, but the 80th congress failed to act, and they had enough men do there. they did not do a filibuster. they cannot vote for culture. everybody would like to have low introduce ae must national debt in times of prosperity. when tax breaks can be given, it ought to go to those who need it most, not those who need it mant, the republican rich

tax bill as they did when they pass a bill over my veto on the third try. [applause] the first one of these tax bills [indiscernible] they finally did send one that was approved, but it still helps the rich. and sticks the knife into the back of the poor. now, a republican came here a few weeks ago, up on a platform. i hope you have already that platform -- all read that platform. they adopted the platform, and that platform had a lot of promises and statements of what the republican party is for, and what they would do if they were in power. to do in that

platform a lot of things i have been asking them to do, and that they refused to do when they have the power. [applause] harry truman: the republican platform tries to have cruelly high prices. i have been trying to get the to do something about high prices ever since they met the first time. [applause] now listen to this one. they are cynical. comespublican platform out with a song clearance and low rental housing. i have been trying to get them pass that housing bill ever since met the first time, and is still resting in the rules committee, that bill is. [applause] harry truman: the religion platform says the equality of educational opportunities and

the promotion of education. i have been trying to get congress to do something about that ever since they came there, and that bill is at rest in the house of representatives. [applause] harry truman: the rub against platform is extending -- expanding and increasing social security benefits. increasing social security benefits, and when they had the opportunity, they took 750,000 people off the social security role. . i wonder if they think they can fool the people of the united states with such poppycock as that. [cheers] harry truman: there is a lot of lists with these promises. i would tell you about all of them. i have discussed a number of these things with the republican 80th congress, and everyone of them is on pardoned. two of them are of major concern

to nearly every american family. the thing about high prices and the failure to do anything about housing. my duty as president requires that i do whatever is in my means of power to get the laws that people need with urgency. i am there for calling this congress back into session on the 26th of july. [applause] [cheers]

harry truman: on the 26th day of july, which in misery will be called [indiscernible] [laughter] harry truman: i will call that congress back, and i will ask holding risingws prices and to meet the housing crisis, which they say they are for in their platform. [applause] harry truman: at the same time, i shall ask them to act upon other needed measures such as education, which they say they are for. programs,al health civil rights legislation, which they say they are for. [applause] increasing thend minimum wage, which i doubt very

much they are for. [applause] and extension of social security coverage and increased benefits, which they say they are for. funds for projects needed in our programs to provide public power and cheap electricity. [applause] by the end of the election, this 80th ingres's has tried to seven times the power of policy that you united states has pursued for 14 years. then the real estate lobby, which is sitting on the housing bill. ask for adequate and decent law for displaced persons in place of this anti-semitic, anti-catholic, 80th law congress passed. [applause]

harry truman: now, my friends, if there is any reality behind that republican platform, we ought to get some action out of the short session of the 80th congress. they can do their job in 15 days if they want to do it. they will still have time to go out and run for office. [background chatter] they are going to try to dodge the responsibility. they are going to drag all the headings they can against this campaign, but that's her berkeley and i are not going to let them get away -- senator barkley and i are not going to let them get away with this. [applause] harry truman: now, what is the worst thing this congress does in this special session, it will be the 10th. the american people will not decide by listening to mere

meeting -- or by reading a mere platform. it will decide on the record, the record that has been written , and the record is the start truth of the battle lines of 1948 are the same as back in 1932, when the nation lay prostrate and helpless as a result of republican meddling action. attacked in the citadel of the special privilege of greed. we were providing money changes from the temples. today, in 1948, we are now the defenders of the stronghold of democracy and equal opportunity. landrdinary people of this , not the favorite classes or the powerful few. the battle cry is just the same now as in 1932, and i paraphrase the words of franklin d.